تَرَكوناthey forsook us أَيُّwhat a قومٍpeople تَرَكواthey forsook
تَرَكونا أَيُّ قومٍ تَرَكوا
وبِرُكْبانِand with the riders of النُّفوسِthe lower selves انْسَلَكُواthey joined the ranks
وبِرُكْبانِ النُّفوسِ انْسَلَكُوا
They forsook us—what a people they forsook!
They left us, which people left us
And joined the ranks of the riders of the lower selves.
And embarked upon ships of souls
ورأَوْاand they saw خِرْقَتَناour cloak بالِيَةًthreadbare
ورأَوْا خِرْقَتَنا بالِيَةً
وعلىand upon أَهلِthe wearers of الشُّفوفِfine, sheer fabrics انْحَبَكُواthey became entwined
وعلى أَهلِ الشُّفوفِ انْحَبَكُوا
And saw our cloak as threadbare,
And saw our worn garment in ruins
And became entwined with wearers of fine fabrics.
And clung to the people of appearances
سَلَكُواthey followed a path وهماًdelusion علىaccording to آرائهِمْtheir opinions
سَلَكُوا وهماً على آرائهِمْ
ليتَهُمْif only they إذْwhen سَلَكُواthey took the path ماnot سَلَكُواthey had taken the path
ليتَهُمْ إذْ سَلَكُوا ما سَلَكُوا
They followed delusion according to their opinions;
They embarked on illusions about their opinions
If only, when they took that path, they had not!
If only when they embarked they had not embarked
مَازَجَتهُمْmingled with them أَنفُسٌsouls منof نوعِهِمْtheir kind
مَازَجَتهُمْ أَنفُسٌ من نوعِهِمْ
صُحِّحَwas confirmed النَّوعُthe kind لهاfor them المُشْتَبِكُinterwoven
صُحِّحَ النَّوعُ لها المُشْتَبِكُ
Souls of their own kind mingled with them;
Their souls mingled with souls of their kind
Their interwoven kinship was confirmed.
The kind was corrected, for it the interwoven
جَهِلوناthey did not understand us لاخْتِلافٍbecause of a difference بيِّنٍclear
جَهِلونا لاخْتِلافٍ بيِّنٍ
ورأَوْاand they saw مِنْهاجَناour path فانْوَرَكُواthen they turned aside
ورأَوْا مِنْهاجَنا فانْوَرَكُوا
They did not understand us because of a clear difference,
They were ignorant of us due to clear difference
And saw our path, then turned aside.
And saw our path so they staggered
نحنُwe آياتِsigns of مَضامينِthe inner meanings of الهُدىguidance
نحنُ آياتِ مَضامينِ الهُدى
وعَليناand upon us فيamong البَراياcreated beings الدَّرَكُresponsibility
وعَلينا في البَرايا الدَّرَكُ
We are signs of guidance's inner meanings,
We are the verses with meanings of guidance
And among created beings, responsibility rests upon us.
And upon us in the wilds is decay
نحنُwe سِرُّthe secret of اللهِGod فيin هذاthis الوَرَىcreation
نحنُ سِرُّ اللهِ في هذا الوَرَى
ولناand we have فيin كلِّevery سِرٍّsecret شَرَكُa share
ولنا في كلِّ سِرٍّ شَرَكُ
We are God's secret in this creation,
We are God's secret in this existence
And in every secret we have a share.
And for us in every secret is partnership
مَنwhoever يدُthe hand of التَّوفيقِdivine aid مسَّتْtouched قَلبَهُhis heart
مَن يدُ التَّوفيقِ مسَّتْ قَلبَهُ
فهوthen he مَشغولٌoccupied بِناwith us مُنْهَمِكُwholly absorbed
فهو مَشغولٌ بِنا مُنْهَمِكُ
Whoever's heart the hand of divine aid has touched
Whose heart guidance touched his hand
Is occupied with us, wholly absorbed.
He is busy with us, immersed
والَّذيand whoever حارَبَناfought us حارَbecame bewildered بناby us
والَّذي حارَبَنا حارَ بنا
مثلماjust as قالَsaid البَصيرُthe clear-sighted one المُدْرِكُthe perceptive one
مثلما قالَ البَصيرُ المُدْرِكُ
And whoever fought us was confounded by us,
And whoever fought us, fought us
Just as the clear-sighted, perceptive one said.
As the insightful witness said
وحَّدَdeclared one الأَقوامُthe peoples قولاًin words رَبَّهُمْtheir Lord
وحَّدَ الأَقوامُ قولاً رَبَّهُمْ
ورأَوْاand they saw غيراًanother فجَهْلاًso, in ignorance أشْرَكُواthey ascribed partners to God
ورأَوْا غيراً فجَهْلاً أشْرَكُوا
The peoples professed their Lord's oneness in words,
The groups made one saying of their Lord
Yet they saw another and, in ignorance, ascribed partners to Him.
And saw others so in ignorance associated
منwhoever يرَىsees الأَغْيارَothers besides God فيin أَفعالِهِمْtheir actions
من يرَى الأَغْيارَ في أَفعالِهِمْ
هوhe لاno شكَّdoubt البَعيدُthe far-removed one المُشْرِكُone who ascribes partners to God
هو لا شكَّ البَعيدُ المُشْرِكُ
Whoever sees others besides God in their actions
Whoever sees strangers in their deeds
Is, without doubt, far removed—a polytheist.
He undoubtedly is the distant associator
نحنُwe آمَنَّاhave believed بمنin the One who صوَّرَناfashioned us
نحنُ آمَنَّا بمن صوَّرَنا
فليَدُرْso let it revolve كيفَhowever أُديرَwas made to revolve الفَلَكُthe celestial sphere
فليَدُرْ كيفَ أُديرَ الفَلَكُ
We have believed in the One who fashioned us;
We believed in Him who imaged us
So let the celestial sphere turn however it is turned.
So let him know how the orbit was set spinning
شيخُناour shaykh الغوثَthe succor-giver الرِّفاعِيُّal-Rifa‘i الَّذيwho
شيخُنا الغوثَ الرِّفاعِيُّ الَّذي
نهجُهُhis path لُبُّthe essence of الهُدىguidance والنُّسُكُand devotion
نهجُهُ لُبُّ الهُدى والنُّسُكُ
Our shaykh, the succor-giver al-Rifa‘i, whose
Our Shaykh, the succoring Rifa’i, who
Path is the essence of guidance and devotion,
His path is the pith of guidance and devotion
نابَstood in the stead of طَهَTaha فأَتاناthen came to us مُرْشِداًas a guide
نابَ طَهَ فأَتانا مُرْشِداً
لطَريقٍto a path ضاءَshone فيهِin it الحَلَكُthe darkness
لطَريقٍ ضاءَ فيهِ الحَلَكُ
Stood in Taha's stead, then came to us as a guide
Repaired to Taha, so he came to us as guide
To a path where the darkness grew radiant.
To a path in which the anklets shone
فتبِعْناهُso we followed him علىon الإِثْرِthe footsteps وقدْand already
فتبِعْناهُ على الإِثْرِ وقدْ
حُطَّwas lifted عنfrom خُمْصِthe hollow sole of هُداناour guidance الحُبُكُthe bindings
حُطَّ عن خُمْصِ هُدانا الحُبُكُ
So we followed him in his footsteps, and already
So we followed him in his tracks, and
The bindings had been lifted from the hollow sole of our guidance.
The shackles were removed from our venerated necks
وعلىand upon هامِthe crowns of العُلىthe heights ديوانُناour assembly
وعلى هامِ العُلى ديوانُنا
بسَلاطينِwith the sultans of الحِمىthe sanctuary مُحْتَبِكُinterwoven
بسَلاطينِ الحِمى مُحْتَبِكُ
And upon the crowns of the heights, our assembly
And at the pinnacle of loftiness our compilation
Is entwined with the sultans of the sanctuary.
With the guardians of sanctuaries interlinked
نعبُدُwe worship اللهَGod ولاand do not نعبُدُwe worship منthose whom
نعبُدُ اللهَ ولا نعبُدُ من
يُهْلِكَنْهُمْwill surely destroy them دهرُهُمْtheir time أَوor هَلَكُواhave perished
يُهْلِكَنْهُمْ دهرُهُمْ أَو هَلَكُوا
We worship God, and do not worship those
We worship God and do not worship one
Whom their time will surely destroy, or who have already perished.
Whom their lifetime destroys or they are destroyed
زُخْرُفُthe ornament of القولِspeech كَوىseared أَبصارَهُمْtheir eyes
زُخْرُفُ القولِ كَوى أَبصارَهُمْ
فعَمواso they went blind وافْتَتَنواand were beguiled بلnay هُتِكُواthey were exposed
فعَموا وافْتَتَنوا بل هُتِكُوا
Gilded speech seared their eyes,
The ornaments of words blinded their sights
So they went blind and were beguiled—nay, they were exposed.
So they became blind and led astray, rather ruptured
زَعَمَclaimed التَّصْريفَcontrol over affairs رغماًin defiance للقَضاof divine decree
زَعَمَ التَّصْريفَ رغماً للقَضا
أعيُنٌeyes فيهاin them العَمىblindness مُتَّشِكُenmeshed
أعيُنٌ فيها العَمى مُتَّشِكُ
Control in defiance of divine decree was claimed
He claimed mastery in spite of destiny
By eyes with blindness enmeshed within them.
Eyes in which blindness is interlinked
عجزُهُمْtheir helplessness لولاwere it not for القَضاdivine decree فيin نَعْلِهِمْtheir sandal
عجزُهُمْ لولا القَضا في نَعْلِهِمْ
ظاهِرٌmanifest إنْif قُدَّwas severed منهاfrom it الشَّرَكُthe sandal straps
ظاهِرٌ إنْ قُدَّ منها الشَّرَكُ
But for divine decree, their helplessness with their sandal
Their inadequacy, were it not for destiny in their slipper
Would be plain if its straps were severed.
Is evident if the interlink is removed from it
مُلْكُthe dominion of ربِّيmy Lord هوHe فيهwithin it مالِكٌthe master
مُلْكُ ربِّي هو فيه مالِكٌ
رغمَdespite مَنthose who قدْindeed مُلِكُواwere ruled أَوor مَلَكُواruled
رغمَ مَن قدْ مُلِكُوا أَو مَلَكُوا
My Lord's dominion—He is its master,
The kingdom of my Lord, in it He is Master
Despite those who have been ruled or have ruled.
In spite of those who were ruled or ruled
قِدَمُthe beginningless eternity of اللهِGod عَلاis exalted عنabove حَدَثٍcreated existence
قِدَمُ اللهِ عَلا عن حَدَثٍ
جلَّexalted is بارِيناour Maker القَديمُthe beginningless المَلِكُthe King
جلَّ بارِينا القَديمُ المَلِكُ
God's beginningless eternity is exalted above created existence;
The foot of God transcended limitation
Exalted is our Maker, the Eternal King.
Our ancient King, Majestic, Master